Don't lose your marbles.

Click here to learn how to make your own marble!


I read banned books. Right now I am re-reading one of my favorite banned books. A book that year after year continues to top the most challenged book list due to sexual content, offensive language, religious viewpoint, being unsuited to age group and violence.

And every year I re-read it.

There are no excuses, only justifications. :)

This time around I really appreciated the craft of the writer. After another year of junky novels, I was once again feasting on composition cuisine.

Without giving too much of the plot away, here’s a brief overview pertaining to my point (yes some of my posts do have points):

Amid a New England catholic high school for boys there is a student society that assigns their peers to perform pranks. In the hierarchy of the society there is the Assigner who contrives the tasks and appoints it to a student. Just like any reasonable society there is a mechanism to keep leaders in check. In order to keep the Assigner’s ideas moderated a box with six marbles (five white and one black) is used. After each assignment is given the Assigner draws a marble from the box, unknowing which marble he will select. If the black marble is extracted than the Assigner will have to perform the conceived prank.

Remember how reading in bed doesn’t leave crumbs in your linens, only morsels in your lucidity?

Here’s something I’ve been gnawing on: Wouldn’t it be great if all of us had a black marble to keep us conservative? With our opinions, favors, delegation, advise?

Sometimes I forget how easy I have it. I mean, I am a Mormon woman of higher education, my husband has a occupation that allows me to stay home with my child, his career also pays for him to seek a graduate degree at an ivy league institution. Yeah. Wouldn’t trade places with anyone.
But that doesn’t stop me from advising other people in different circumstances (not worse nor lesser, just different) then my own. Brings new meaning to the idiom:

Don’t lose your marbles.

I also considered the tasks we endure perform in this life. I came to the conclusion that there doesn’t need to be a black marble in play with the Plan. It’s already been done. Our Assigner has already been there, done that and is able to assist us due to His experience.

This morning I read an article by President Monson that rocked. Yes, rocked.

There I say, even rolled?

In the article he relates the journey of the glass that adorns the St. George Tabernacle* windows. It traveled from the eastern states to California on boat. But that was not the tricky part. The difficulty was paying for the glass from fragile pockets. Needless to say, through various sacrifices members were able to raise the money through exercising faith and trust in the Lord.
Now, for the humdinger, the quote that followed the tale:

“Tabernacles and temples are built with more than
stone and mortar, wood and glass.
Particularly is this true when we speak of the temple described by the Apostle Paul:
‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?’
Such temples are built with faith and fasting.They are built with service and sacrifice.
They are built with trials and testimonies.”

Diverse is the tasks we are asked to perform on this earth.
We have joys. We have trials.

These are the stones and mortar.

People are undergoing major construction.

Let’s be kind.

Yes, then we have the token Caleb collage because
we know my mom doesn't read for my recorded epiphanies.

*I've been there, have you? Can't wait to see it again! How many more months 'til JULY?!